Puppy Love
by salmonbutter
Summary: A female division has been established in the Shinsengumi. A 19 year old swordswoman has been chosen as vice-captain. Hijikata, who had never shown any interest in love, might have a change of heart. Hijikata/OC
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N:**__** I REWROTE CHAPTER ONE (THIS CHAPTER)! My writing has completely changed and I felt like this fic needed a LOT of re-writing. And it did! Took me a few days to rewrite just the first chapter! So be warned... Chapter two is very different from this one. As in, the writing style is very different. BE WARNED! (I'm currently working on the second chapter. Won't take too long to update! Enjoy!)**_

Chapter One [Hijikata Toshiro]

A typical, hot summer's day watched over the Kabuki district's fish market. As per usual, many people crowded the market. The people seemed happy; content shoppers looking for local food for their families. The sun and sapphire sky gave the marketplace a warm atmosphere. Over the loud chatter of many shoppers, a young woman and a pre-teen boy made their way down the congested place.

A girl in her older teenage years walked along side her younger brother, carrying a woven basket. Her chocolate orbs scanned the stands for fresh fish.

"Ah! Taro-san!" She called out to a middle-aged, bearded man behind one of the stocks of fish. Her brother wandered off to a neighbouring stand. The man turned around to see the young brunette smiling brightly at him.

"Maki-chan! Nice to see you again! How's my niece doing this fine morning?" He walked over to her, his once white apron stained with every colour imaginable.

"Pretty good! Out doing errands for ma and pa."

"You're still living with your parents? Man, you need a life!" He laughed heartily, holding his big belly.

Her face flushed and she shot him a glare. "No, I need a _job_." She crossed her arms.

"Come work here! We've got plenty of jobs for you."

"I don't want to permanently smell like fish," she scrunched her nose at the thought. "I'd like to get married too, you know."

Again, Taro's baritone laugh practically shook the stand. "I thought you would've had a job by now, Makita. With all that sword training you've done."

She scratched her head. "Employers have an offensive way of stereotyping any kind of sword-like jobs to be for males only. Trust me, I've applied to lots of places."

"Tough luck, kid," he pursed his lips and rubbed his hands together. "Things have been pretty tough here as well. There's essentially no fish out there."

"No fish?" Makita responded, eyeing the fish on show.

"It's because of the oil leak." Taro followed her gaze and leaned on the wooden pole that was holding his little tent up.

"Oil leak?"

"Yeah, haven't you heard?" His eyes turned into staid concern. "Two gangs were supposed to have an exchange of some kind a few weeks ago. Drugs for oil. The Shinsengumi found out about it." Frowning, his face flushed. "And the good, old Shinsengumi blew up the damn boats. Now the fish market is doomed for a good 6 months."

"Standard…" She replied, giving the ground a look of exasperated disapproval.

"Nee-chan!" She heard her brother yell. The girl turned to see her brother rushing towards her, a paper clutched in his hand. His azure eyes held excitement as his short, cocoa hair bounced as he ran. He handed her the paper impatiently. She opened it, realizing it was a flyer. Her hand covered her mouth as she read. Taro leaned over his counter to read over her shoulder.

_Dear female citizens of Edo,_

_Some of your fellow inhabitants of this city have sent in some very helpful advice to the Shinsengumi. We have considered their advice and made it happen to improve and strengthen the Shinsengumi…_

_Females may now join Shinsengumi! We have constructed a dojo beside our old one made for the females to settle in. Women that want to join must have at least 3 years of experience of swordsmanship and must be in good shape! Come to the Shinsengumi dojo for more information or to join._

_Sincerely,_

_Kondo Isao, Commander_

_Tomoyashi Konami, Commander of Female Division_

"Sanosuke! Where did you find this?" She asked her brother, eyes wide. His grin only grew.

"It's all over the walls! Now come on, let's go check it out!" Sanosuke shouted ardently, beginning to turn around. "Oh, and bye uncle Taro!" Taro waved his nephew goodbye with a warm smile as Sanosuke ran.

"What about the fish?" Makita stood breathlessly. Taro poked her from over his stand.

"I'll take care of it," he winked at her. "You go get yourself a job."

She brushed a piece of chestnut hair behind her ear as she sighed. She swiftly bid farewell to her uncle and rushed after her sibling.

* * *

After a good hour and a half of wrong turns, yelling and running from stray dogs, the two siblings stood in front of the Shinsengumi headquarters. A white banner hung above the entrance gates: WELCOME TO THE SHINSENGUMI. ALL ARE WELCOMED.

"Nee-chan…" Sanosuke mumbled as the two made their way past the gate.

"Hmm?" Makita continued to walk, observing the rather well-kept garden around the barracks.

"Are you actually gonna work here?" He chewed the inside of his cheek anxiously, keeping his blue eyes on the ground.

"If I can get in," she looked down at him, surprised to see him upset. "Then yes. Why? Is it bothering you?"

His cheeks flushed a bright pink and he avoided her chocolate eyes.

"If you get accepted, which you will," he paused. "You'll have to leave the house, won't you?" He looked up at her, his eyes watery. His mouth frowned into a pout and he hugged her around the waist. "I don't want you to leave! I want you to stay at home with me so you can teach me more about swords. You're just gonna leave and never come back. But I love you! You can't leave!"

Makita watched him in awe before placing her hands against his back and returning his embrace the best she could. She knew it was only normal for a 7 year old to react this way, but she never knew her little brother held her so high in his ranks.

"Don't be an idiot, Sano," she chuckled. Little Sanosuke looked up at her. "I'll come visit you every time I'm free and I'll even spar with you. I'll bring you the best ramen in town too, okay?"

His eyes watered even more and he buried his face into my belly again. "You better keep that promise!" Makita grinned and bent down to tickle him for a few seconds before the pre-teen pulled away from her to avoid being tickled to death.

"Let's get going, I don't want to be late." He nodded and wiped his eyes with his blue yukata sleeve.

They walked to the entrance and slid the door open. "_Sumimasen! Ano_, is anyone there?"

No answer.

"Let's explore 'til we find them." Sanosuke suggested as he took off his zori and made his way into the manor. Makita followed suit, noticing all the shoes left in the entrance hall. Around 100 pairs sat there. She gulped.

They went around the seemingly empty building before finding a room emitting shouts and eccentric cheering. The two siblings peeked through the crack in the rice paper door. The room was very big, as 60ish people sat, watching a duel about to break out. Sanosuke and Makita slipped into the room unnoticed and sat in the back, backs against the wall.

_"Yeah! Come on Tomoyo__-__chan__!"_

_"You can do it, Tomoyo-chan!"_

_"Beat the crap out of her, Tomo-chan!"_ Cheers surged through the crowd.

"Quiet!" A baritone voice yelled and crowd went silent. "Akira Tomoyo," The same voice spoke out after a pause. "Welcome to your evaluation. You will be dueling against Tomoyashi-san, commander of the female division. She will evaluate your swordsmanship skills and decide if you are Shinsengumi material."

"_Hai!_" A girl replied. Makita tried to peer over all the heads but there were too many people blocking the view.

"_Yosh! _Then let the match begin!" The man spoke.

Grunts, the clash of wooden swords and movement followed.

"I can't see anything!" Sanosuke growled in a whisper.

_"Yeah! Come on, Tomo!"_ Everyone cried, cheered and squealed. The sounds of grunts and clashing of wood continued.

"You're very good, Tomoyo-san_. Demo_, you won't be able to beat me yet." A new voice spoke out, a woman this time. Then the heavy thud of a body resonated through the room as well as a stunned silence.

Then the crowd broke out into a wild blare of cat calls and cheers. Sanosuke gave his sister a concerned look, which was ignored. Makita watched a young girl with long blonde hair in a ponytail make her way through the swarm of spectators. Makita blinked as the blonde made eye contact with her. The girl smiled and trotted over to her.

"Hey! You just got here, didn't you? Are you trying out?" The blonde sat down next to Makita and her brother.

"Ahh, yeah! Were you the one to just go?" Makita returned her smile.

"Yes, indeed!" The blonde held out her hand. "I'm Akira Tomoyo."

The other girl took her hand and shook it. "Kotone Makita."

"There's only a few minutes left before today's session ends. You should go now," Tomoyo smiled brightly and pointed to the crowd. "But I must admit, Tomoyashi is a hard one to beat!"

A semi-circle of desks could be seen as Makita waded through the crowd and stepped into the sparring centre. Shinsengumi officers sat at the desks, waiting for the next contestants. As Makita stepped into the area, a woman sitting on the desk itself turned to examine her. She was in her 30s; her jet black hair pulled back into a ponytail accented her lavender eyes. She wore a captain's Shinsengumi uniform.

"Are you trying out?" She chimed, kindly.

"_Hai_." Makita answered, nervously.

"Name?"

"Kotone Makita." She lowered her eyes to the paper and scribbled something down.

"Age?" She requested, not looking up from the paper.

"20." Another scribble. As she wrote, Makita examined the officers behind the desks. The woman she was talking to now seemed to be the only female present. They were all captains, or higher; Makita could tell by their uniforms. From left to right, a man with chocolate hair, a kind smile and a scruffy beard sat with his arms crossed, observing me. Next was a teenage boy with dirty blonde hair and piercing auburn eyes which made Makita quickly look away. Lastly, there sat a young man with black hair and gunmetal blue eyes. He had a cigarette dangling from his lips along with a look of disinterest.

"How many years of experience have you had in swordsmanship?" Tomoyashi snapped Makita out of her staring.

"Ten years." Makita answered nonchalantly.

"Ten years? Impressive!" She laughed childishly and then wrote it down. Makita returned her laugh with a nervous giggle.

"I'll be testing you today with a small wooden sword duel. The results will be announced tomorrow in the courtyard here. Okay?"

"_H-hai_." Makita tensed, pressing her hands to her thighs. An officer threw her two wooden swords and Tomoyashi threw one to Makita. Catching it with ease, Makita inspected the sword.

Tomoyashi shifted into a relaxed fighting stance. She eyed Makita with a small smirk.

"Kotone-san! Are you ready for your evaluation?" The man with brown hair called out. The brunette looked at him and nodded. "Let the match begin!"

Makita had put on a good fight for a few minutes and managed to land a few hits but essentially, she got beaten. Bad. Yet the crowd had gone wild for the duel.

_"What a good match!"_

_"Good job, Makita-san!"_

_"You definitely made it into the Shinsengumi!"_

_"WOO!"_

Chuckling at the crowd's reaction, Makita and Tomoyashi exchanged a grin.

"Very good match, Kotone-san," she winked and held out her hand. The younger woman took it and gave it a solid shake. "You're a natural, no doubt about it."

"That's too much!" Respectfully, Makita laughed it off with a flushed face.

"Don't be so humble!" The dark-haired woman grinned. "We'll see you tomorrow, right?"

Nodding excitedly, Makita handed the wooden sword back to the commander. They said their goodbyes and the 20 year old exited the arena proper with difficulty. The crowd of spectators had showered her with compliments, enthusiastic cheers and encouragements. After many laughs and 'thank you's, she managed to wade her way back to her brother, along with the other blonde girl.

"You were great, nee-chan!" Sanosuke hurried into his sister's arms.

"Yeah! I would've never thought you were that good just by looking at you," Tomoyo sniggered and lightly nudged Makita as she hugged Sanosuke. "No offence, Kotone-san."

The brunette sneered and rolled her eyes. "None taken," she let go of Sanosuke and stood to her full height. "Please just call me Makita."

"Then feel free to call me Tomoyo!" The blonde held out her hand.

As they began some small talk, music blared out of Tomoyo's back pocket. Pulling out her phone, Tomoyo exited the room leaving Makita and Sanosuke to talk.

"For tomorrow's assembly," Sanosuke began hesitantly. "Rules are that participants aren't allowed to bring family or friends."

"Oh, really?" Makita blinked. "That's a shame."

The two of them began to exit the room in silence as well and they walked down the Japanese-styled outdoor hallway. "How do you think you did?"

Makita shrugged. "I either did really well," she chewed the inside of her cheek. "Or really bad."

Her caramel eyes scanned the court. Dry, dirt ground with a few Japanese gardens here and there as well as trees. Her thoughts drifted to the three men sitting at the table during her spar. Questioning the system of the whole 'female division' idea, her stomach stirred. _Maybe this wasn't such a good idea…_

Just as she was about to question her thought, bubbly Tomoyo popped in front of the two just as they were reaching the entrance hall. She asked Makita to join her in going to the assembly tomorrow. After exchanging phone numbers, each party left.

Dinner in the Kotone manor went fairly smooth due to the fact that their daughter had a potential job opportunity. Helping Sanosuke with sword fighting and a quick shower followed before Makita snuggled up into her futon. She laid awake, pondering. Another feature of being accepted into the Shinsengumi was that members were obliged to live in the barracks.

Sighing, she rolled over onto her side. The problem wasn't that she would miss her family. She was preoccupied with how people would be like in the Shinsengumi. She couldn't tell whether or not it would be hard making friends. What if they were all sword-maniacs? Butches?

She buried her face into her pillow and groaned before falling asleep.

She didn't have a clue. She didn't know that friends wouldn't be the only thing she'd make…

* * *

"_Oi_! Tomoyo!" Makita called to the blonde waiting by the entrance. Waving back at her, Tomoyo approached her.

"You're late." Tomoyo eyed Makita playfully.

"Fashionably late?" Makita offered.

"Yeah right! Look at you; in sweatpants and t-shirt." The two girls laughed and walked into the headquarters. A few Shinsengumi officers chatted in the entrance hall, paying no attention to the two women. "So the highest position for female officers is vice-commander since Tomoyashi-san is already commander." Tomoyo blandly stated as they walked towards the assembly in the courtyard.

"I wonder if anyone will be appointed to it." The brunette added genuinely.

"Probably you." Tomoyo replied casually. Makita gave her an appalled look.

"Are you crazy? What in the world makes you think that?"

"How much do you wanna bet?" The blonde smirked. "Tomoyashi-san complimented you. She didn't compliment anyone else. _And _you landed a few hits on her, _and_ you have 10 years of experience. I'd be shocked and appalled if they didn't assign you to vice-commander."

"That's senseless!" Makita shook her head. They entered the assembly place and decided to seat themselves on the ledge of the headquarters' terrace since all the chairs had been taken. "Just because she complimented me doesn't mean anything! There's little to no chance that they chose me!"

"Well if you're so sure, let's bet on it. One thousand yen." Tomoyo mischievously smirked and held out her hand.

Makita clicked her tongue in annoyance before reluctantly taking her hand. "Easiest 1000 yen I've ever made…" She mumbled.

Shortly after our argument, Tomoyashi and the same 3 men from before strode down the terrace to the stage, passing the two girls along the way. They exchanged warm greetings with Tomoyashi and the scruffy bearded man while the other two men merely nodded as a greeting.

"I find that dirty blonde kid to be so attractive…" Tomoyo commented after they were out of hearing range.

"His eyes freak me out."

"That's what's so attractive about him!" Tomoyo squealed and squirmed in her place. "He's such a bad boy, eek! His name's Okita Sogo… What a hunk, eh?"

Rolling her eyes, Makita laughed and unintentionally set her eyes on the black-haired man walking beside this Okita Sogo boy. Just as she looked at him, the blue-eyed officer turned to look at her. They made startled eye contact before Makita felt her cheeks warm and quickly averted her gaze. Her heart skipped as she placed a hand on her chest. Rattled, she spaced out, her gaze on the ground. _What just happened?_

"Makita?" Tomoyo questioned, poking her friend's shoulder. Makita shook herself out of her flustered state and brought herself back to their conversation.

A wily expression stretched on Tomoyo's features. "Your face is beet red."

Makita quickly turned away and pouted. "No, it's not! _Urusai_!"

"_Yare, yare! _You're no fun, Maki-chan~" The blonde chimed impishly. "So you have your sights set on the _fukucho_, _ne_?"

"Who's that?"

"The guy you just stared at; Hijikata Toshiro."

Makita looked down at her lap and blushed even more. Tomoyo chuckled loudly.

"Maybe you'll have a chance with him since you'll be _fukucho_ as well!" She added.

"_URUSAI!" _Halfway into a playful slap and cowering Tomoyo, feedback from the speakers squealed throughout the courtyard.

"Testing, testing. One, two. One, two." Both girls looked towards the stage to see Tomoyashi, along with the other 3 men, standing on the stage. The girls settled down and watch the event unfold before them. Tomoyashi briefly spoke the scruffy bearded man before handing him the microphone.

"_Ohayo, mina-san_! Before we commence this wonderful assembly, I'd like a moment to speak on the behalf of us," He cleared his throat and gestured towards himself and the other 3. "We've all seen extraordinary talent from everyone here today. From physical strength to the power of the mind, everyone has potential. The decisions were hard to make and we would've liked to take everyone under our wings but sadly, that is rather impossible."

As the tacky speech went on, Makita drowned out the sound of the man's voice and amused herself with her phone. _They would've liked to take everyone under their wings? Yeah, right. The majority of them just didn't meet expectations._ She assumed the man speaking must be the commander of the male section; Kondo Isao. She admired his charismatic personality though she wondered how such a gentle man was chosen to be commander of a bunch of male brutes. _He looks rather… manly. _She commented to herself before she looked back down at her game of snake.

About an hour of role calls, applause and mobile Tetris later, approximately half of the females present had been called up and given a position. Some were assigned to squad captains, others to simple squad members. Tomoyo had been chosen for first squad captain and her reaction was nothing short of ecstatic.

Feeling somewhat relieved, Makita began to stand up, ready to leave. She had not been called and all the positions she assumed were open had all been taken. But before she had the chance to turn on her heels to depart, Tomoyashi took the mic from Kondo.

"Lastly, we have a special announcement," she spoke, wearing a light-hearted smile. Hands in sweater pockets, Makita turned slightly to pay attention to her discourse. "We've decided to take in a female vice-commander. We've established that she has no need for training since she's essentially a born leader."

The crowd quietly chattered, curiously questioning Tomoyashi. The commander went on, unaffected by the chatter. "Congratulations to a talented, quick-witted young woman by the name of Kotone Makita!"

Stunned, Makita blinked in utter awe. Tomoyashi grinned and her eyes fell on the young brunette. The horde fell silent and they followed her gaze and stared at Makita, equally as stunned. Then, a few squad members up on the platform that Tomoyashi and the others stood on broke into wild cheers. Everyone at the assembly quickly followed the exhilarated shouts.

Rapidly, Makita was guided to the stage before she could take in what was happening. Her entire body felt like nothing but air. The dumbfounded caramel-eyed girl inattentively shook Tomoyashi's hand, managing to crack a smile. She quickly noticed the apprehension in the girl.

"_Oi,_" Tomoyashi spoke as she let go of her hand, her smile never faltering. "Relax. Aren't you happy?"

"I-I am, believe me," Makita stuttered before taking in a deep breath and feeling her shoulder muscles unwind. "This is just so overwhelming."

"Don't worry about it, kiddo. We didn't choose you for nothing," Tomoyashi laid her hand on her shoulder sympathetically after handing Makita a folded package which contained her uniform. "You can handle it, I'm sure of it."

"But..." Makita mumbled under her breath then fixed her eyes on the ground before her feet. Tomoyashi tilted her head and demanded her to continue. "I'm not as good as you think I am…"

_Slap._ A hit upside the head was delivered by Tomoyashi. Makita winced and held the back of her head. "_Itai…" _She raised her brown eyes to see Tomoyashi laughing.

"Are you telling me I have bad judgement?" Tomoyashi accused in a playful tone of voice.

"_I-iie... _I just," Makita hesitated, rubbing her head. She sighed in defeat. "Never mind. _Arigato_, _kyokucho!"_

After bowing and exchanging a warm smile with the female commander, Makita moved on to Kondo to say her thank yous. Upon walking to him on the stage, Kondo wore a grim face. His dark brows were furrowed and his arms were crossed tightly across his chest, defensively. Just as Makita began to second-guess her actions, tears spilled from his eyes. Infamously, Makita blinked in surprise. He then pulled Makita into a bear hug. Smothered against his chest, Makita turned red and squeezed her eyes shut as the head commander embraced her.

"_Omedetou_, my dear child! Oh, how the Shinsengumi is happy!" He squealed. He released her and held her shoulders, snot beginning to drip from his nose. Makita couldn't help but giggle. "Welcome to the team!"

She smiled warmly and bowed. "_Arigato, kyokucho_! It's an honour to be part of the Shinsengumi!"

Kondo laughed, reminding her the way her uncle laughed; low and baritone. "Drop the formalities! Call me Kondo, Maki!" A wave of excitement and satisfaction washed over her as she spoke to her new boss. _Maybe this won't be so bad…_

After a few more bone breaking hugs, Makita bid farewell to Kondo and made her way down the few stairs leading to the crowd, in search of her friend, Tomoyo. Courteously, _Akira-taicho_. She cast an eye over the crowd and realized most of them were beaming at her in admiration and respect. A tingle of contentment poked her heart, causing her lips to pull into a genuine smile. Just as her eyes set on a cheery blonde waving to her, the last step managed to escape Makita's foot.

Makita began falling forwards until she came in contact with a sturdy chest. She felt a light grip around her arms while the brunette's body was pushed up against another. She had just enough time to take in the man's scent; a hint of cologne accompanied by the smell of clean laundry. She then looked up at her saviour, thankful yet stunned. Gun-metal blue eyes met caramel ones. Her heart fluttered and her mind went blank.

A cigarette bobbed up and down as he spoke, shaggy black hair framing his face. "You're gonna need to work on your balance if you want to survive even a day as a vice-commander, _fukucho_." He spoke monotonously as if saving falling girls was part of his daily routine.

It took her a few seconds before Makita finally revived her brain and stood securely on her own two feet, distancing herself from the tall man. She clicked her tongue in annoyance, giving him the same disinterested stare. The black-haired man picked up her package she dropped during her fall out of civility and handed it to her. Makita mumbled a thanks and took the package before proceeding to raise her hand to his mouth. She flicked the cigarette out of his mouth.

"You're gonna need to stop smoking if you want to survive even another year, Hijikata-san." Makita stated flatly, giving him a microscopic smile.

He stared at her for a few seconds, bearing no expression. Then he cracked a smirk of his own. "I'm looking forward to working with you."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The gathering ended at about 4:30. All of the new members were to go to a room where they would assign us our new rooms. I had gotten room #13. How uncanny. They also showed us how to get from the male barracks to the female ones. The barracks were separated by a huge dry dirt courtyard. In the center of it was a small pond and they arranged a bridge going on top of it. You could go around the pond, too. The pond and Japanese styled bridge were accompanied with a few trees, flowers and a cherry tree.

Tomoyo had gotten room #14, the room across from me. We were all to get our belongings and come back in the morning to settle in. We would start training already and also get to know our squad members. Being vice-commander, I would have to get to know EVERYONE. Impossible for me to remember everyone's name. I'll try my best.

* * *

I began making my way over to my new lodging after having it assigned to me. Tomoyo accompanied me. We walked along in the courtyard, which was most likely our new training ground.

"Wow." Tomoyo said dreamily as she looked down at her hands, which were holding her uniform. "I can't believe I made it to first squad captain…"

"I would've never ever thought that I would be vice-commander…" I replied as we walked in sync.

"That's amazing, Maki. Hah! And to think you're my higher-up, now." Tomoyo grinned and gave me a smirk as she turned her head. "And now, you're the same rank as Hijikata-kun."

"Tss." I frowned and closed my eyes. "That's not what I care about."

"Liar."

"LIAR?!" I looked at her. She had a hand over her mouth and she laughed dramatically.

"I can tell that you think he's awesome. Don't lie to me, dude."

"Since when do you talk like that?"

"Since I started being best friends with Sougo-kun." She smiled, triumphantly.

"You're best friends?"

"Well, maybe not best friends. But, we talked a bit. He congratulated me and told me that we would probably be working with each other a lot…" She sighed, as if being in complete love.

"You barely even know him. Don't be all goo-goo gaga over him."

"I can't help it." She answered, closing her eyes in a modest way.

"Sure you can."

We crossed the Japanese styled bridge and walked over to a set of few stairs. We made our way up them and through a wooden door. It led to a dark wooden floored hallway. The hallway was very long, going to the right and left. On each side of the walls were rice papered doors. I assumed they led to our rooms.

"This one is room 32, I'm guessing our rooms are to the left." Tomoyo pointed out. I followed her down the hallway for a few seconds until we found our rooms. I opened my room door and walked in.

It was a traditional Japanese styled room. Rice papered sliding doors, tatami matted floor and medium sized rice papered closet. A folded futon and covers were sitting in the corner of the room. The room looked pretty plain and empty. There was a chestnut coloured night-stand sitting beside the futon. Besides that table, there was no furniture.

"Oh my goodness! These rooms are beautiful!" I heard Tomoyo say from a distance.

"It looks like my room, kind of." I replied as I set my uniform on the night-stand and walked out, sliding the door shut on my way out.

I saw Tomoyo in the room across from me, running around, admiring her room which was almost identical to mine.

Suddenly, there was a screech on something that sounded like an intercom. I looked up on the ceiling to find a small speaker there.

"Would Kotone Makita and Hijikata Toushirou report to Kondo's office, please? Kotone Makita and Hijikata Toushirou to Kondo's office."

My whole body tensed up and I suddenly felt edgy. Why do I have to be called down with HIM, of all people…? I looked over at Tomoyo who was giving me the most mischievous look in the world.

"Ooh, la, la!" She cooed.

"Fuck you." I cursed as I walked away, towards the exit. I heard her laugh.

"I was just joking!" I heard her yell after me. I chuckled a bit as I left the female dorms. Direction; Kondo's office.

…Where the hell is that?

***

After about 10 minutes of wandering around in the male dorms, I finally ended up finding Kondo's office.

The large rice papered doors said; Commander's office. I heard male voices calmly converse from outside the room. I took a deep breath and cleared my throat to alarm them that I had arrived.

"Oh, come in!" I heard Kondo's inviting voice call out.

"_Shitsurei shimasu_." (A formal way of entering a room; excuse me.) I stated as I slid the door open and entered.

The room was slightly bigger than my dorm, and a big coffee table sat in the middle of the room. On the ends, Kondo and Hijikata sat as the commander of the female division, Tomoyashi, sat on the side. Hijikata sat with his legs crossed and Kondo and Tomoyashi sat on their knees. Kondo smiled at me as Hijikata gave me an intimidating stare. I gave them all a small polite smile and had a seat across from Tomoyashi. She was frowning at me. I gave her a questioning look as I sat on my knees.

"You're late." She stated.

"I got lost, sorry." I replied, timidly. She still looked angry. I saw Kondo look back and forth at us.

"_Oi, oi! _Calm down, _kyokucho_!" He laughed. "The girl's brand new here. You would know what that feels like. Not to mention you didn't do any better." I heard Hijikata chuckle. Tomoyashi shot an angry stare at Kondo. I suppressed a laugh. Then, Tomoyashi sighed.

"Alright. First off, Makita," Tomoyashi paused as she gave me a small smile. "Congratulations on making it to vice-commander, once again."

"Thank you." I smiled back, straightening my back a bit.

"But to make this clear, you will have a lot of responsibility and a lot on your back once you begin leading the Shinsengumi. We all expect you to be rational in your decisions and to be a role model for the rest of the women," She pursed her lips. "And men."

"Yes, ma'am."

"You will lead our troops with gracefulness, integrity, determination, and pride. If you make one little mistake, _all _of us will bare the consequences. I have faith in you, seeing that you look like a reasonable young woman and seems to take _kenjutsu _seriously. But I have yet to see that. In the next few days, you will have to prove to me that you are willing and fit to be the Shinsengumi's female vice-commander. All three of us here expect a lot from you. Please don't take this lightly."

What was with this whole speech? Did I already do something wrong? As if hearing my question, Tomoyashi continued in her prideful tone;

"Sorry for the strict speech, but I really want this to get to your head." She laughed a bit. I closed my eyes and smiled.

"Understood."

"Do you still want to continue as vice-commander?" She asked.

"Without a doubt." I immediately answered. Kondo chuckled. I looked at him. His arms were crossed and his eyes were closed.

"You seem to be pretty happy with this job." He commented.

"Of course! I'll dedicate myself to it, I promise." I replied. He opened his eyes. I could see a twinkle of excitement and happiness in them.

"I _like _this girl!" He exclaimed. Tomoyashi laughed along with him. I smiled at them and side glanced at Hijikata. He had a small smile on his lips and his eyes were closed. I couldn't tear my eyes away from him until he opened his sapphire eyes and made contact with my brown ones. I snapped my eyes away from his and looked down at the wooden table.

"Anyways, today, I'll give you a list of what you'll have to go over with the troops tomorrow morning. Don't be afraid to be strict with them. Kondo and I will be absent for half of the day, helping a cargo full of _katanas_ for our new members. Hijikata and you will lead the troops through daily training for the first time." She explained as she slid a piece of paper across the table over to me. "Hijikata can explain to you tomorrow what we do as practice." I took the paper and read it. "That's all for now. You are both dismissed." She nodded at me and Hijikata. I smiled as I stood up and slightly bowed. Hijikata copied but didn't bother bowing. We both went towards the door, myself before him.

"Oh, one more thing." Tomoyashi started as I finished opening the door. Hijikata and I both turned our heads and looked at her. "Both of you need to be up at 5:30 to wake up everyone by 6:00." She smiled, sadistically. Hijikata let out a small sigh and my jaw almost hit the floor while my hand was still resting on the side of the door. Hijikata turned around, mumbling a 'Hai.'. He looked at me and smiled, seeing my shocked expression. Then he took his pointer finger and lightly placed it on the underside of my chin. Then, he lightly flicked it upwards, closing my mouth.

"Better get used it, _fuku-cho_ (vice-commander)." He said in a husky voice. I pursed my lips and glared at him. He just closed his eyes, chuckled and walked out the door.

***

Back in my dorm, I laid out the new futon and laid on my back on it, staring up at my ceiling.

I had gone back to my house, gathered some of my clothes and called all of my family in the front lawn. They asked me why I had my things packed and was leaving. I announced the big news of my achievement as vice-commander. They were all ecstatic and showered me with compliments. My mother even had a few tears in her eyes. After a long explanation of what I would be doing and where, my family sent me off with a couple of; 'come and visit!'s and hugs.

Now, it was nighttime and most of the Shinsengumi was already fast asleep, considering the fact that everyone would be up early. Especially Hijikata and I…

I got up, a decided look on my face. Tomorrow, I would give it my all leading the troops for the first time.

I put on a pair of baby blue striped pajama pants and a white, baggy t-shirt and turned off my light. I snuggled in my new comfy futon and closed my eyes. I needed all my strength for tomorrow to give a good first impression on everyone. _I really hope everything goes well… I need to be organized. _

As I was making a list of the things I needed for tomorrow, I heard a quiet music playing and as if something was vibrating. I looked over at my folded shorts, where the noise was coming from. I groaned. _My cell phone…_

I lazily crawled out of my bed and pulled the phone out. I flipped it open.

_Message from: Watsuki Tomo-chan~:_

_Are you asleep yet?_

I replied: Yes. I'm sleeping very peacefully and nothing could possibly wake me up right now, dumbass.

I crawled back into my bed with my cell phone, not really expecting a reply. My mind drifted from how early I would have to wake up to Hijikata Toshiro. I couldn't quite figure him out, yet. Whether he was a good guy or a dumb man. As I thought, my phone vibrated in my hand. I opened it again.

_Okay, well I just wanted to wish you good luck tomorrow. Good night!_

I chuckled at how she completely ignored my sarcasm. I quickly typed away on my phone: Ha-ha, alright. Thank you, sleep well.

I sent it and slid my phone across the room into a pile a clothes and got back into my bed. I closed my eyes and thought about many things before I finally fell asleep.

***

_BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP._

"Uhh…" A groggy groan escaped my mouth. "_Okasan…_ It's Saturday morning, leave me alone."

_BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP._

I rolled over and screamed into my pillow. "_OKASAN_! LEAVE ME ALONE!"

_BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP._

Wait… since when does my mom 'beep'?

My eyes shot open and I lifted myself up from my pillow, in a cobra position. I looked around my room, squinting.

"Oh. This place. Right." I sighed and relaxed. I rubbed my eye as I slowly sat back in a cross-legged position. I reached over to the source of my wake up call, my phone, and turned the alarm off. It was 5:25 am and my room was still completely dark. And cold.

I stretched my arms and legs out and breathed in before I stood up and quickly changed into my new uniform. I didn't have a mirror in my room yet, but I knew there was a washroom somewhere down the hall. Before I left, I quickly brushed my messy hair and tied it back, once again. I grabbed my toothbrush and toothpaste and headed towards the washroom.

The hallways were completely deserted and my light footsteps were the only things that could be heard. The hallway was pretty long, too. I kept walking and turned a corner and I could see from far away a small wooden sign sticking out from the wall, saying; Washroom.

I made my way over and saw that the washroom door was a normal, rice-papered door. I slid it open, turned the lights on and slid it closed. It was so clean for a public washroom! Must be because it's new.

The floor was white, sparkly clean tiles and the walls were soft beige. The bathroom stalls were a dark purple and there were 5 of them. There was also 5 big white sinks accompanied with the stalls. A very long and large mirror went down the wall the sinks were on. I strolled over to a sink and quickly brushed my teeth as I examined myself in the mirror.

My brown eyes were darkly rimmed from exhaustion and my hair was all _staticky_. I spat out my toothpaste and harshly sighed and tried flattening down my side bangs. As I complained, the washroom door slid open and a girl walked in. We looked at each other for a while as I kept my hand on my bangs and toothpaste was smeared all over the sides of my mouth.

The girl looked around 13 years of age, and she was already in her uniform. Her uniforms were for the higher-ups. She must be a captain.

"Ah," I smiled. "_Ohayo_!" (Good morning) I greeted her. She had an almost aggressive look in her eyes and she frowned. Her actions didn't really match up to her face expression, though.

"_Ohayo gozaimasu, fuku-cho_." (Good morning [in a formal way], vice-commander) She spoke as she bowed, her long waist-length light red hair falling a bit. She raised her head and pushed a piece of hair behind her ear. Her face had softened a bit, but she still looked dead serious. I just grinned at her.

"No need to be so formal! How was your night's sleep? What squad do you lead?" I asked as I wiped the toothpaste off my face and rinsed my mouth. I gathered all my belongings and held them in my hand.

"I had some trouble sleeping, I'm not sure why. And I lead the 10th division." She replied. She had a mature and strong voice for her age. Though her face was still emotionless.

"Yeah. Me, too. And isn't squad 10 known for its strategists?"

"Yes."

Silence as she walked over to the mirror a few meters away from me and brushed her hair. I scratched my head and sheepishly asked her a question.

"So," I began, looking away. "How old are you?"

"I'm 13."

"Thought so…" I mumbled. Her expression still didn't change.

"Are you happy to be here?" I asked, flattening my hair, again.

"Yes. I'll take this job to heart and protect everything I can." She answered, strongly. I smiled as I admired her response.

"Good answer." I glanced at her in the mirror, as she looked straight at me with a sour look.

"Thank you."

I laughed, nervously. Then, she began to walk away, towards the door.

"I'll see you soon, I guess. Right?" I called out to her before she left.

"_Hai_." She answered as she left the washroom.

I stared at the door for a second, then turned back to the mirror and sighed at how hard that girl was to figure out. Then, I realized I didn't even ask for her name… Sigh.

I took my hand off my bangs. No success, there was a strand that was sticking upwards, right in the air and refused to come down. I gave my reflection a miserably disappointed look and gave up.

I walked out the washroom and took out a piece of paper out of my pocket. I unfolded it and read it as I walked. It was the list of what Hijikata and I had to do today, from Kondo and Tomoyashi.

_Schedule:_

_5:30am: Breakfast will be ready in the dining hall, beside Kondo's office._

_6:00am: Wake up everyone. Note: they have 30 minutes to be dressed, fed, ready and at the men's training room, number 24. (There is a big sign, you'll find it.)_

_6:30am: Alright, now that everyone is gathered, Makita, you will go over all the rules of the dojo. Hijikata will give you the list of them._

_7:00am: Take all the girls to the women's training room and take them through the daily routine. Once again, Hijikata will give you the instructions._

_9:00am: Give everyone their task for their new job. The listing of them all is in your office._

Office? I have an office?

_9:30-11:00am: Paper work is waiting for you in your office. Have fun._

_11:00am-2:00pm: Patrol duty, take a police car and drive around and patrol. Pretty self-explanatory._

I can't drive.._. _

_2:00-5:00pm: Watch over everyone. A lot of the girls will probably have a lot of questions. You probably do, too. Kondo and I will be back at 5:00pm, but if you have questions before you come back, ask one of the men. They've been here forever, they're bound to know. _

_5:00-6:00pm: Sword training, I will be back for that and I will go through everything with you and the girls._

_6:00pm: Meeting with captains and higher._

_After our meeting, you are free for the rest of the day. Tomorrow, same routine from 5:30-9:00am. We'll worry about what we'll be doing at that time. For now, have a good day and good luck!_

***

I made my way over to the dining hall and it was completely empty except for 2 women who were cooking behind a counter.

"Aah! Good morning, _fuku-cho-chan_!" A lady in her 30s with blonde hair smiled cheerfully at me from behind her counter. I tiredly smiled back.

"Good morning, Miss."

"Oi, oi, Ayame-san! She's **the** fuku-cho! You can't call her fuku-cho-chan!" Another lady with brown hair, around the same age near the back of their kitchen retorted. I laughed, making my way over to the counter.

"It doesn't matter. I'm not a goddess or anything."

"To be chosen as vice-commander right off the bat sure sounds godly to me." The browned haired woman stated. We all laughed.

"Thank you, I'm flattered." I stated, a smile on my lips.

"You're welcome. It would be rude to not introduce ourselves. I'm Ayame. And the monster back there is Tsugumi. We're the people who make sure that you 'warriors' get fed." The blonde lady, Ayame, looked up at me with her emerald eyes, stirring a bowl full of noodles.

"_MONSTER?_! Excuse me?!" Tsugumi shouted from the back of the kitchen. Ayame laughed.

"You're excused!"

"I hate you."

"You guys are pretty energetic for the morning." I commented. Tsugumi walked over beside Ayame with a pot full of hot water as I leaned on the chest-high marbled counter, my elbows on them and my face in my hands.

"You'll get used to it, girly. I promise." Tsugumi answered. "Are you likin' the Shinsengumi so far?"

"Yeah, for sure. Everyone's so nice." I replied.

"Especially the men, am I right?" Ayame chuckled.

"What makes you say that?" I asked.

"Well now that girls are allowed in here, it's not that hard to understand that they'll all start hitting on you ladies."

"I second that." Tsugumi added.

"Hmm…" I thought. "But the commanders made a rule that there are to be no romantic relationships within the barracks or while on the job."

"How do you know that?" They both said in unison. I took out the piece of paper with all the rules listed on it and waved it in front of them. "Oh."

I grinned. "Oh! I'm Makita, by the way."

They both looked up at me and smiled kindly. "Welcome to the team!"

I laughed.

"What would you like to eat?" Tsugumi asked me, as she poured some rice into a pot of boiling water.

"Just some toast and orange juice, please." I put the piece of paper back into my pocket.

"Okay, have a seat at one of the tables." She offered. I nodded and walked over to the end of a long table and sat myself down in one of the chairs. I sighed and rubbed my eyes. I began planning my speech to the troops in my head. There was so much I wanted to say…

The door of the dining hall slid open and Ayame and Tsugumi immediately snapped their heads in that direction. I didn't even notice the door open as I was day dreaming.

"Hey! _Ohayo, _Toshi!" Ayame greeted cheerfully.

"_Ohayo._" A man replied as his footsteps indicated he was coming towards me. I still didn't notice anything before I heard the chair in front of me screech and a figure sit down in front of me. I snapped my head to look at who it was. It was the gun-metal blue eyed 'demonic' vice-commander, Hijikata.

"Good morning." He greeted, not even a smile. I just stared at him. He didn't seem one bit tired. His hair was the same, his bangs kind of looked like an upside down 'A' and he had an unlit cigarette dangling from his lips. His jacket uniform was thrown over his shoulder, swaying a bit. He was only wearing his black waistcoat over his white button-up shirt which the sleeves were rolled up. He wasn't wearing his scarf, either. I, on the other hand, was wearing all of my uniform, including the jacket and scarf. I saw him raise his eyebrow. "Anyone there?" He asked as he waved his hand in front of my face. I blinked and shook my head.

"Uhm, yeah. Sorry. I'm really tired." I rubbed my temples with both hands and put my elbows on the table. "Good morning, _fuku-cho_."

He retrieved his hand and smiled a bit. He was about to say something before Tsugumi called out. "What would you like for breakfast, _sir_?" She asked sarcastically.

"The usual."

"Are you sure? You might scare the poor girl away…" She commented. I gave her a questioning look through the counter.

"I know. She'll have to see it sooner or later." Toshiro replied, still facing me but his eyes were focused on the cigarette he had taken out of his mouth and on the table.

"Whatever you want," She stated. "Don't ask for my help when she pukes."

"_Urusai…_" (Shut up…) He frowned. Then, he looked back up at me. "Do you have everything you need for the day?"

"_Aah… hai._" I replied, looking at him. "I think so. I'm just not sure what to talk to them about…"

"Just get right to the point. Introduce yourself briefly but confidently and then go over the regulations." He instructed as Tsugumi came around the counter and gave us our food. She gave me a nicely toasted slice of bread with some kind of jam on it and a glass of orange juice.

"_Arigatou._" (Thank you.) I beamed. Then, she put down Hijikata's plate. It was a bowl of rice and she put down some kind of bottle filled with a white substance. She also put down a mug of coffee. After, she gave Toshiro a weird look and walked back to her kitchen. He chuckled a bit.

"What's in the bottle?" I asked, out of curiosity. He looked at me and hesitated.

"You sure you want to know?" He asked back.

"Do I?" I smirked. He sighed and opened the lid of the bottle.

"I guess I have no choice," He said as he raised the bottle and put it over his bowl of rice and squeezed the white sauce out. I made a funny face. "It's mayonnaise."

I stared at him, my mouth open in disbelief as he circled an inhuman amount of the white paste onto the rice, using up half of the bottle. He put it down and picked up his chopsticks. He picked the bowl up and pushed the rice and mayonnaise into his mouth and chewed. I twitched as I watched.

"…" My mouth was still open. He looked at me, a 'what?' look on his face as he chewed. "Is it good?"

"Mhmm." He replied, his mouth full. I looked down at my food, my normal expression back on my face.

"Well, if you like it…" I said as I took a bite of my crunchy toast. He swallowed and stared at me.

"You're not disgusted?" He asked, shocked.

"It's your food. Do what you want." I took another bite.

"You amaze me," He picked up his mug and chugged down his coffee. "A normal person would, at the very least, gag."

I shrugged and copied him by chugging down my orange juice. "Like I said, it's your stomach."

He chuckled a deep laugh and finished the rest of his bowl. "Any questions you have before we start our day?"

I made note of how he said 'our' day. "Yes, actually," I said, matter-of-factly. "Since when do I have an office?"

"Vice-commanders and up have their own office. I'll show it to you when we have time." He put of his jacket as he spoke.

"Alright. And about patrolling the city…" I started.

"Yes?" That's when I almost melted. His face was unbelievably striking when he looked up at me with those darkly rimmed eyes. It looked like he was almost wearing eyeliner. And the way he said that word… Ugh, it's unexplainable.

"I can't drive." I managed to choke out after I turned 30 shades of red. He stacked his bowl on my plate and his mug with my glass and stood up. He walked over to the counter.

"That's okay. I'll get someone who can drive to patrol around with you." He set the dishes on the marble counter and came back to pick up his sword which was on the ground and placed it on his side. "Go wake up all the girls. We need to get started. When you're done, come to my office. It's beside Kondo's." He strode over to the door and looked at me, waiting for a reply.

"What for?" I asked, getting up. I waved goodbye to Ayame and Tsugumi as they chimed; 'have a good day'.

"I have a katana and badge for you. And I'll show you to your office." He replied as he started walking away but stopped before he bumped into a figure.

"_Oi, oi._ Watch where you're going, Hijikata-san. It's rude." A male voice said. Hijikata stepped to the side.

"_Urusai, _Sougo. You were in my way." He retorted. I made eye contact with the boy he was talking to. It was the first squad captain, Okita Sougo. The young man that Tomoyo was so in love with. He was a bit shorter than Hijikata when he stood beside him. He had sandy, dirty blonde hair and burgundy-brown eyes. His mouth was in an O shape.

"Makita-san!" He spoke. I smiled politely.

"_Ohayo, _Okita-_taichou_." (Captain Okita.) I replied. Toshiro seemed relatively irritated.

"No time for chit-chat, we need to go wake up all those lazy bastards, Sougo." The vice-commander interrupted.

"Sorry for making you jealous, _fuku-cho._" Okita mumbled under his breath, not enough for him to hear, as he walked into the dining room and over to the counter. As he passed me, I noted that he was slightly taller than me. He also gave me a small wave. "Let me get something to eat, wait for me." He added as he ordered some food from Ayame and Tsugumi.

Hijikata sighed and found another cigarette. He placed it in his mouth and let it dangle, again. Then, he looked at me and my innocent look.

"What are you waiting for? Do you really need me to explain how you're supposed to wake people up?" He questioned, unpleasantly. I frowned.

"Alright, alright." I breathed as I walked past him. "No need to be sour." I could tell he was watching me walk away towards the women's quarters, in a confident pace. I frowned at myself as I thought.

…How _was_ I going to wake them up?

I stopped in my tracks and made a U-turn in the dirt ground. Hijikata was still standing in the doorway except, he was leaning against the doorframe, a leg bended upwards and his cigarette was lit. He was also facing towards the insides of the dining hall and seemed to be talking with someone, most likely Okita. I lightly jogged back over to him but stayed on the ground instead of on the wooden porch he was on, making me a lot shorter than him. He turned his head down to me when he heard me walk back. I had a sheepish look on my face.

"What is it?" He eyed me.

"…"

"What?"

"How am I supposed to wake them up, exactly?"

* * *

Chatter was all that could be heard as all the police men and women piled into the meeting room. Most of them had happy expressions on their face and were laughing. They all had their uniforms on and I found that only the men had swords with them. They all stood and waited for the others to arrive as they socialized with both women and men. I, on the other hand, was silent. I tried thinking of things I could include in the speech I was about to give, besides the rules and everything. I stood at the front, Hijikata at my side, talking to another black-haired man. Funny thing was that I wasn't nervous at all and was actually pretty confident. I just had to make a good first impression. I'm not sure if their wake up call helped…

Hijikata had showed me my large office that had a huge desk and a bunch of paper already stacked on it. In front of the oak desk were 2 matching oak chairs and a comfy leather office chair on the other side, for me. There was also a lot of Japanese paintings and flowers. Then, he showed me a very simple way of waking all of them up.

There was this kind of phone on my desk that could either call or make announcements. He turned the phone onto announcement mode and made a very delicate broadcast throughout the Shinsengumi male quarters…

"ALRIGHT, YOU LAZY ASSES! GET UP, GET DRESSED AND GET FED. THEN GET YOUR BEHINDS INTO THE MEETING ROOM AT 6:30 SHARP, OR ELSE IT'S SEPPUKU FOR ALL YOU GOOD-FOR-NOTHINGS!" Then, he 'delicately' hung up. After, he put me on the phone for the female quarters, indicating it was my turn. It sounded a bit like this;

"No, no! I don't know what to say. No, Hijikata-san. _IIE! _(NO!) Don't give the phone to me! NO, I SAID I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO SAY!"

"Just tell them to get up and be at the meeting room by 6:30! Jesus Christ, you're so unreasonable. It's not that hard!"

"NO. I'll talk to them during the meeting! You can tell them to wake up!"

"You're the woman here! I can't get aggressive with women! It'll be considered as harassment!"

"Then I'll explain to them that I needed a demonstration!"

"YOU ALREADY GOT ONE!"

"I DON'T CARE!"

"Oh my God…"

"…"

"Don't give me that face. You do know that they can all hear us right now, right?"

"WHAT?! YOU NEVER TOLD ME THAT! WOW, NOW THEY'RE GONNA THINK I'M A DUMBA- Clank."

I guess he thought that was enough of a wake up call.

Anyways, now all of them we're piling into the room, seemingly in a good mood. I reached into my pocket to grab the folded piece of paper with all the listings of the regulations, but I chose the wrong pocket and drew my new badge that Hijikata had given me. I opened the brown leather and examined it, once again.

There was a square of clear plastic where you were supposed to slide a picture in, then if you looked at the bottom half, was my name, rank and everything;

_Bakufu Special Military Police  
Shinsengumi  
Vice-Commander of Female Distribution  
Kotone Makita_

Hmm.. I don't have a decent picture of myself that I could put in there. Maybe we would all get our pictures taken?

Hijikata also gave me a brand new katana. The blade was extremely sharp and was glossy clean. The scabbard was black with a red string near the opening. The hilt was also red and extremely easy to grip. The sword itself was a bit heavy, but nothing I couldn't handle. Hijikata had informed me that it was Tomoyashi's former sword and that she had told him it was one of her favorites and wanted the best of the best to have it.

Interrupting my flash backs, someone tapped me on the shoulder. I turned to face a familiar, bubbly blonde, clean pearly white teeth flashing. I chuckled and smiled back.

"Tomoyo." I grinned.

"Makita." She said back, smiling but a tint of competitiveness in her eyes. Her uniform fit her well, showing off her built body. The way she tied her scarf was a bit off but still civilized. Her blonde hair was tied back into a tight, high ponytail, her bangs outlining her face. "Nice announcement, this morning." She joked. I twitched.

"You heard it?!"

"I think the whole world did. It was on the speaker, smart one." She giggled. I sighed and made a sobbing noise. Her smile never leaving, she continued. "It's alright, though! I spoke with some other girls and they said it was the best wake up call they've ever had. Quote: Made me laugh until I almost fell out of my futon. The _fuku-cho _seems like a nice person."

I gave her a relieved look and closed my eyes. "Good. My pride wasn't crushed thanks to the fearsome _fuku-cho._" I commented as I pointed my thumb over my shoulder at Hijikata, who was still conversing with a black-haired man. I looked at him over my shoulder. He seemed to end his conversation with his fellow Shinsengumi with a slap across the poor man's head.

'Yamazaki! YOU IDIOT! I told you to get more mayonnaise!' was all I heard before I looked back at Tomoyo.

"You ready to lead to Shinsengumi with pride and honor?" She asked, mocking me.

"Maybe…" I sighed. Then, I saw Okita walk up behind Tomoyo. We made eye contact and he walked over to Tomoyo's side. I saw her blush like a mad man. Err, woman.

"Everyone seems to be here, _fuku-cho._" He stated, an emotionless yet guiltless look on his face. "We should begin the meeting."

"Uh, sure. _Dozo._" (Go ahead.) I replied. He turned around and faced the group of people without saying another word.

"Alright, _mina_!" (Everyone.) He shouted out pretty loudly to get everyone's attention. "We'll begin today's meeting, now! Please take a seat."

"_Hai_~" They all replied in harmony. Okita looked back at me over his shoulder and gave me a smirk.

"They're all yours." He said as he walked over to take a seat in the front, Tomoyo followed after giving me a wink of encouragement. I gave her a smile through gritted teeth. Everyone was sitting on their knees and only a few whispers could be heard.

The door of the room was open, letting the sounds of morning birds and crickets to lead the background music. Hijikata stood a few meters away from me, his arms crossed and his gaze towards the group.

"Good morning, everyone. As you most likely know, I am Hijikata Toshiro, vice-commander of the male faction," He looked over at me and mouthed a 'come here'. I did as he asked and walked right to his side. "And this is Kotone Makita, the new vice-commander of the female division. She has just as much right as myself and should be respected equally by both women _and _men." He uncrossed his arms and looked around the room. "Before we start, I'd like to emphasize the fact that the new recruits here should not be considered inferior to anyone. Intolerance about genders will be severely punished. Am I clear?"

"_Yes, sir!_" The crowd replied, immediately, mostly males.

"Good. And one more thing," Hijikata added. "Kotone has just as much administration as Kondo, Tomoyashi or me. She has the right to give orders to even the men, understood?" I loved the way he said even my last name.

"_Yes, sir_!" They replied. Toshiro looked at me and almost yawned.

"Your turn." He said. I nodded and stepped forwards to be a little more in front of Hijikata. I smiled.

"Good morning! Once again, I'm Kotone Makita and I am the new vice-commander here. It's nice to meet you all and I'm looking forward to getting to know you all better. This morning, we've been asked to go over the regulations of the Shinsengumi, which the new members may not know about." I dug into my pocket and pulled the infamous paper out. Hijikata stepped up a little and whispered.

"You're too gentle with them. Be more affirmative." He commented, aggressively.

"Shut up," I retorted. "This is fine." I heard him growl but he backed off.

"I'll begin with the main rules that will not be forgiven, no matter the situation or reason." I glanced down at the paper and read off of it as I looked back and forth between the paper and troops. "Do not betray the _bushido_ creed. (Bushido is kind of like the 'samurai way of life'. Google it -.-) Do not desert troop. Do not willfully obtain funds, as in, no other jobs besides working in the Shinsengumi," I heard a few groans. "Do not willfully get involved with disputes, and do not engage in personal fights. If any of these rules are broken will undergo _seppuku _without question." (Seppuku is a Japanese ritual where you have to pretty much commit suicide by slashing yourself in your belly.)

"What do you mean by desert the troop?" I heard someone call out. I thought.

"You can't quit the Shinsengumi without a valid excuse." Hijikata answered in my place. I looked at him with a surprised face.

"Really?" I asked. He nodded. I turned to face the troop, again as I sighed. "Any questions?" Silence. "Alright, I'm continuing."

"There's more rules?!" They all whined.

"_Konoyaro_, Kondo-san and I came up with the 45 sacred regulations that will keep all of you guys in line and disciplined." Toshiro retorted. (Konoyaro is a word that is used a lot in Gintama. It's an insult in between the lines of 'bastards' and 'idiots', but it's not meant to gravely insult someone, it's just a joking word, I suppose.) "If these rules weren't made, you would all be some lazy slugs who call themselves samurais."

The crowd didn't reply, informing that Toshiro had a point.

He gave me a look which meant to keep going with my speech.

"Okay, these 45 regulations are…"

* * *

"Regulation 42, no comics other than magazines are allowed to be read in the confines of the station." I continued.

For another 20,000th time, a 'what, why?!' immerged from the police officers. As I always did, I continued without answering.

"43, turn off all hand-held devices during meetings or important ceremonies." I casually slid my hand into my pocket and found the off button of my cell phone, pushing the button. "44, anyone secretly conspiring with the enemy will be punished, and finally, 45." I looked up from the paper with a relieved face, and breathed out my last sentence. "All warriors following the path of _bushido_ must achieve enlightenment upon death and are forbidden to turn into ghosts." Some laughed at this rule. I looked back at Hijikata and asked him if we were done.

"Yeah, time for training, now." He replied.

"_Yosh_!" (Alright!) I clapped my hands together. "Finally!" The black-haired man laughed.


End file.
